


let's pretend for a little longer

by DailyMelody



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Developing Relationship, Dual POV, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Vacation, What could go wrong??, how many cheesy tropes can i include?? stay tuned, just joe and cherry at a destination wedding, this is the romcom fic nobody asked for but i desperately wanted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 05:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30084513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DailyMelody/pseuds/DailyMelody
Summary: Kojiro takes a deep breath, promptly ignores the voice in the back of his head that tells him that this is a horrible idea, and says:“I need you to be my plus one to a wedding.”Kaoru practically chokes on his water.(or: kojiro needs a date to a fancy destination wedding and kaoru is his only hope. think crazy rich asians meets the proposal, sort of).
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Comments: 32
Kudos: 175





	let's pretend for a little longer

**Author's Note:**

> im back again, but this time with something different! this one isn't part of the ["you feel like home to me" series. ](https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170569) and it's my first multi-chapter fic holy shit (sort of). 
> 
> lemme preface this by saying that this is just, pure self indulgence. i wanted to write the corniest cheesiest romcom-esque fic and just throw matcha blossom in various scenarios lmao. more tags will be added over time but expect just a lot of fluff, bickering, banter and mutual pining. it's rated gen for now but if sexual content happens i'll change the rating! also this chapter isn't beta'd, so be gentle w/ me. a special shout out to everyone who's seen me yell and cry and spam this on the tl for like a week, y'all the mvps lmao

The idea hits him when he sees Kaoru silently enjoying the focaccia he prepared. It’s a new recipe, sort of. Actually, it’s an old recipe he removed off the menu ages ago and tweaked a little bit. It might make a comeback, depending on Kaoru’s feedback. Judging by the way he’s chewing and the lack of clear disgust on his features, Kojiro assumes that the newly improved focaccia is a hit.

When Kaoru washes some of the food down with a few sips of water, Kojiro takes a deep breath, promptly ignores the voice in the back of his head that tells him that this is a horrible idea, and says:

“I need you to be my plus one to a wedding.”

Kaoru practically chokes on his water.

It’s a pretty funny sight, especially when he shoots Kojiro a bone-chilling glare afterwards; one that would give the ice queen a run for her money. Kaoru’s glares could restore the melting ice caps on the North Pole. His stares could make hell itself freeze over.

Kojiro, however, is immune to said stares.

Kaoru wipes his mouth with a napkin and continues to glare at Kojiro while stifling a cough into the piece of fabric he’s holding to his lips. “I’m sorry?”

“You heard me,” Kojiro shrugs. He’s already past the point of no return, so he might as well push through and go for it. “I need you to be my date to a wedding. A friend of mine is getting hitched, I told him I’d bring a plus one. They’re counting on it.”

There’s a round of silence before Kaoru raises a single brow in a way that is calculated, practiced and elegant, and so very Kaoru. “And why is that my problem? Get someone else.”

Granted, he’s got a point. It’s annoying, but he’s right. Kojiro’s recent dating disaster isn’t anybody’s problem but his own. He doesn’t really do breakups. Too messy, too many tears. Too much residual guilt. Which is why he always makes his intentions clear beforehand, to avoid any kind of miscommunication. Because miscommunication only leads to false expectations, which then leads to hope, and that’s the problem. 

He waves a hand at Kaoru’s words. “Too short notice. Besides, anyone I ask with me to this wedding is gonna have expectations. I can feel it. I don’t wanna deal with that,” he explains. “Then go solo,” Kaoru argues with a shrug, reaching for the final piece of the focaccia. Before the snack can even touch his lips, Kojiro snatches it from his fingers and plops it into his mouth with a satisfied hum. 

It earns him another glare. One that would’ve killed him if he were a lesser man.

“And look like an idiot? I already bragged about bringing someone,”

“For someone who supposedly hates expectations, you sure like creating them,” Kaoru says sharply. He downs the contents of his glass before crossing his arms in front of his chest. It makes him look like the kind of haughty bastard Kojiro vehemently dislikes. The kind that could make you feel inferior with just a glance. One that says I'm better than you in every way.

Jesus, he’s going to have to convince this guy — isn’t he?

“I don’t wanna be the only one without a date and have my failed romantic endeavors take away from their happy moments.”

“Bullshit. You love attention.”

Touché.

“It’s gonna be nothing but couples, if I take any of the girls I hook up with, I’m coming back married myself. Guaranteed.”

Kaoru makes a noise that is somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. As if he’s somehow unable to comprehend that there are women on this green earth who would willingly marry Kojiro.

(He’s gotten a couple of proposals, thank you very much).

“You’re overreacting. And stereotyping. Not every woman's goal in life is eternal marital bliss,” Kaoru starts, and Kojiro can practically hear him think the words ‘especially not with you’. He doesn’t say it, though. Doesn’t even have to. The upward curve of his lips betray him. Smug bastard. “Regardless, I do see your point. Somewhat. Going with a friend is technically the safest option.”

For a moment Kojiro thinks that victory is within reach. But, it’s not. Because he knows Kaoru. Knows that striking a deal with him is the closest he’ll ever come to striking a deal with Lucifer himself. Which is why he holds his breath.

A smirk plays on Kaoru’s lips, dangerous and devilish, and perhaps all of this was a mistake. Maybe he can apologize to Hana, maybe she can come along regardless—

“I want ten free dinners for me and each client I bring.”

“What?” Kojiro sputters. “Hell no. You wanna put me out of business?”

“I do your accounting. You can afford it,” Kaoru counters.

“Five free dinners.”

“Ten.”

“Six.”

“My price just went up. Ten free dinners and five free lunches.”

“What?!”

Kaoru, the rotten bastard, has the gal to inspect his nails. “The way I see it, you need me, Kojiro. Take it or leave it.”

Kojiro thinks the vein in his forehead might finally burst. He exhales sharply, jaw clenched, before — begrudgingly — saying: “Fine.”

“So, where’s this wedding anyway?”

* * *

Perhaps he should’ve told Kaoru that the wedding would be taking place in the Philippines, and that the festivities would last roughly ten days, before tricking him into going along. But seeing that look of pure unaltered shock had been very, very worth it. After being cussed out for a good minute, Kaoru huffed and complained about not being able to take time off on such short notice. Kojiro argued that he, being his own boss and all, could very much take time off for an impromptu trip to South-East Asia.

He then proceeded to show Kaoru the luxury resort they would be staying at, which caused the other to gape at him in a moment of astonishment. “All expenses paid,” Kojiro had added. “Bullshit. How?” Kaoru asked, idly swiping through the photos of the various villas. “Apparently his wife-to-be comes from money. Family’s loaded.” 

Fast forward a few days, and they’re on a flight to Manila. Once there, they have to take another flight to Siargao. Though, before they arrive at their destination, Kojiro urges that the two of them figure out some sort of bullshit backstory regarding their spontaneous, and very fake, coupling. “You’ve been in love with me for years and you just slept around because you didn’t want to get rejected,” Kaoru suggests, scrolling through his itinerary on his tablet. “Doesn’t sound like me at all,” Kojiro objects.

“Oh no?” Kaoru asks distractedly yet bemused, brow arched at the screen in front of him. “I think it sounds exactly like you,” he scoffs.

Kojiro responds by plucking the tablet from his fingers, which earns him an affronted ‘hey!’ and a glare – but that doesn’t particularly bother him. He keeps the tablet out of Kaoru’s reach, who calls him an overgrown man-child before rubbing at his temples. “Fine. We— just kissed one night at the restaurant and were suddenly overcome with love and affection for one another. Better? Now give me the tablet.” 

“Do you have to say it with such a disgusting face?”

“You bring it out in me,” Kaoru deadpans.

Kojiro purses his lips in thought. It’s simple and believable enough. Sure, it could be better, but he supposes he can improvise on the spot if needed. He hands the tablet over to Kaoru, who pinches his arm. Kojiro slaps his hand away in retaliation and he’s pretty certain it earns them a judgmental look from an elderly couple seated on the row next to theirs.

It’s going to be a long ten days.

However, once they reach Siargao, all of that is forgotten. It takes them forty minutes by car to reach the resort and Kojiro spends the majority of the time taking in scenery. And taking a photo or two. Upon arriving at their destination, he’s taken aback by the sheer beauty of their residence for the upcoming few days. Hidden between the mangrove forests sits a luxury resort that seems like something straight out of a movie. He suddenly understands why it’s referred to as a ‘hideaway village’. It almost feels as though they stepped into a completely different dimension, secluded from the outside world. He’s pretty sure that if you were to look up the word ‘paradise’ in the dictionary, this place would pop up.

The resort is divided into various areas, with numerous villas hidden between the breathtaking greenery. A wooden boardwalk connects each area and Kojiro wordlessly follows the woman who greeted them upon their arrival. When his gaze shifts towards Kaoru, he finds that the other seems to share that sentiment. Something akin to childlike wonder flashes through his eyes and it shouldn’t make Kojiro laugh, but it does. “Pretty nice, huh? Bet you’re glad you came.”

Said childlike wonder vanishes instantly and Kaoru scoffs, slipping his sunglasses back onto his nose. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m still here with you after all.”

“Your darling boyfriend for the next few days. C’mon, give me a smile.”

What he gets is Kaoru’s trademark glare instead.

He should’ve seen that coming, really.

When they reach their villa, Kojiro lets out a low whistle. The interior consists of primarily wooden furniture, with each room decorated in various shades of white, cream, and brown.

As expected, Kaoru immediately searches for the nearest outlet to plug in his phone and his tablet. Kojiro continues to observe their living quarters for the upcoming days, peaking into each room. His hand slips into his pocket, fingers curling around his phone and swiping across the screen to message his friend, Ryo, that the two of them had arrived. He receives a reply almost instantly, in which Ryo tells him that the majority of the wedding party had already arrived; a handful of relatives and friends. ‘We’ll come get you guys’ the message reads and Kojiro releases a long breath.

He pads back towards the bedroom, where Kaoru has started unpacking his clothes – because, of course, that’s the first thing he does. “Ryo and his fiancé are coming to pick us up,” he tells Kaoru – who scrunches his nose as if he’d just smelled something disgusting.

“I was going to take a shower first.”

“Just change into something else,” Kojiro shrugs, unzipping his bag and pulling out a sky blue shirt. He removes the gray shirt he’d been wearing for the past few hours and tosses it onto the bag before slipping the clean shirt over his head. “There we go.”

The look of disgust on Kaoru’s face doesn’t disappear, but he complies regardless. He sifts through his suitcase and Kojiro arches a brow. “Don’t tell me you only brought yukatas?”

“Of course not, it would take up too much space. I also own regular clothes, Kojiro.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

When Kaoru removes the grey obi from his waist, Kojiro has half a mind to turn around to grant him some sort of privacy. Now Kojiro is anything but shy. He literally wears nothing but a jacket and a pair of pants while skating and he’s more than glad to shed unnecessary layers of clothing when needed, but it’s different with Kaoru. Kaoru who hides beneath layers and layers of fabric. It feels like an invasion of privacy – even if he has known him for years and quite literally grew up with him.

“Don’t get all chivalrous now, boyfriend,” comes Kaoru’s amused, little jab. He brushes past Kojiro, carrying a pair of pants and a t-shirt, before disappearing into the bathroom. When he emerges, dressed in a fitted, white, t-shirt and a pair of light grey pants, Kojiro blinks twice. It’s a normal outfit, an everyday ensemble that many people probably own, yet seeing Kaoru in something that isn’t his usual attire, causes some sort of cognitive dissonance apparently. It reminds him of a different time. When the two of them were much younger; a little rough around the edges.

“You’re staring,” Kaoru says, amused. He folds the yukata before placing it back into his suitcase. “What? No snide comment?”

Kojiro’s brows knit together and he huffs. “I’m just surprised that’s all. Didn’t think you’d have anything that wouldn’t make you seem like an old man.”

Kaoru snorts, removing his yellow hair tie before pulling his hair up into a ponytail. “Says the guy who’s dressed like a middle-aged father of three. You have a red shirt with palm trees on it.”

“Which you ruined. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“I did you a favor. That thing was atrocious.”

Kojiro is about say something along the lines of ‘you’re atrocious’, when there’s a knock on their front door. As expected, Ryo and his wife-to-be Aya greet him with blinding smiles and tight hugs. They ask about his and Kaoru’s flights and if they’re satisfied with their sleeping arrangements and Kojiro offers them an equally bright grin. “This place is amazing. Aya you sure you wanna marry this guy? I could use some rich in-laws too. Parents love me.”

“Jeez. Back off will you,” Ryo laughs. “She’s spoken for. Speaking of, where’s your girl? Hanako? Hana? I can’t keep up anymore.”

Kojiro grimaces, waving a hand at his words. “Yeah, about that… funny story, brought someone else – Oi, Kaoru, come say hi.”

“Kaoru? Your high school buddy?” Ryo asks.

After less than a minute, Kaoru walks towards the front door; a perfect, polite smile stretched across his lips. Kojiro knows that smile – he’s seen it many times when Kaoru brought his clients over to Sia La Luce. It’s the smile he uses to charm someone, to win them over. It never seems to fail, apparently.

Kojiro hopes that smile won’t fail him now.

His own grin widens slightly and once Kaoru’s within reach, he wraps an arm around his shoulders. He feels him tense up beneath his arm, if only for a short moment, before a hand comes to rest along Kojiro’s back. It seems like a sweet gesture, until Kaoru pinches him through the fabric of his shirt.

A warning.

Kojiro manages not to wince, or yelp. “Anyway, this is Kaoru. Yes, the one I went to high school with,” he tells the couple. Kaoru nods, extends his hand in greeting to Aya, and then to Ryo. “Sakurayashiki Kaoru. Congratulations on your engagement and thank you for your hospitality. The accommodations are lovely.”

Ryo offers him a grin in return. “We’re glad to have you. We hope you’ll enjoy your stay, but I’m pretty sure you will. Both of you,” he tells them. “Really, Kojiro, I didn’t see this coming. Then again, the way you talked about hi—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kojiro interrupts. “It happened a little sudden, but when it feels right, you just know,” he says quickly.

“Oh, we know. I’m marrying this guy over here,” Aya muses, nudging her fiancé. “But you guys look lovely together. We’re happy to have you, Kaoru. The rest of the group is dying to meet you both.”

“Can’t keep them waiting, now can we?” Kojiro grins, glancing down at Kaoru. He’s met with that same smile, though this one seems a little bit more dangerous. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes and Kojiro wonders if he made a grave mistake. Perhaps this entire plan was a horrible, terrible, idea.

“Seems like we can’t,” Kaoru replies. Somehow it feels like a threat.

While Ryo and Aya already walk down the path that leads them towards the main area, Kojiro gives Kaoru’s shoulder a tight squeeze. (Maybe a little tighter than necessary. Just to annoy him).

He takes a deep breath before his fingers curl around Kaoru's wrist, tugging him along down the path.

 _Showtime_.

**Author's Note:**

> rip to joe lol. this is gonna be a long few days! 
> 
> if you're curious to know what the resort they're at looks like: [this is it ](https://www.naypaladhideaway.com/) ! (as for what the villa they're in looks like, [go here](https://www.naypaladhideaway.com/thevillas/) and scroll down til you see superior villa and check out the pics!) i'm not the best with describing scenery so here are some visuals lmao.
> 
> i hope you enjoyed it! feel free to hmu on [twitter](https://twitter.com/rougecherries) (@rougecherries) for more matcha blossom crying and shitposts. as always: kudos and comments and bookmarks are always welcome and appreciated and will be rewarded with love! (subscribe if u wanna be notified when i post updates ofc!)


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